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Home My WebLink AboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1984-08-08, Page 3Sf FEAT Lit4 91f vOokS)gid... ART GAr li li' ' As 9.4 11 Next weekend Blyth Festival will be celebrating 10 years as a theatre. Actors, playwrights and other Festival members who have been involved with the theatre, will be descending on the small village to share in the celebration. Among the list of events schedul- ed will be an informal baseball game at the Blyth Public School ball diamond. (Wendy Somerville photo) Memorial Hall has a theatrical past Like the theatre's dramatic presence, the Blyth Memorial Hall has had a vibrant and interesting past. Erected in 1920 as a memorial to veterans who fought in World War I, the hall has been serving the community ever since. Vaudeville shows and touring plays were originally staged at the hall. As well, dances and meetings were held in the basement of the hall. In those days one of the biggest annual events was the firemen's dance. One of the more famous shows to travel to Blyth was the Jimmy Faxe troupe. Held in connection with the annual fall fair, Jimmy Faxe performed a one man show. Over the years, Jimmy became a well known visitor to Blyth and the troupe -performed in the village from 1920 to approximately 1950. In the 1920s, the theatre was built upstairs at the hall. The stage, measuring 40 by 20 feet wide, was the most modern and largest in the area and the theatre was known for its comfortable seats, modern designs and excellent acoustics. However, with the growing popularity of television in the 1950s, interest in live theatre declined. The Blyth Memorial Hall was abandoned and the building fell intoa state of disrepair. The basement floors no longer shook with the excitement and fervor of annual dances and the theatre no longer echoed the voles of minstrels on stage. , Recovery came in the 1970s when a group of local people saw potential in the old hall and came to its rescue. Donations were made to buy supplies, while volunteers climbed ladders, scrubbed woodwork and repainted. By early September the hall, they thought, was ready to use. The first event to be held in the newly renovated hall was to be a variety night and fashion show, sponsored by the Board of Trade. Although they thought the hall was ready for use, the local fire chief, who inspected the building declared the fire escapes unsafe and closed the hall until they were replaced. At this time, it was the Blyth Council who carne to the rescue, agreeing to pay for the new fire escapes. Before these were installed however, one councillor 'noticed a sag in the roof he thought should be checked before any money was spent. A local engineer was hired to examine the structure. He found the roof below standard and unable to support snow loads. He said that the theatre should not be used until repairs were made, however the lower portion of the hall was usable. As -the question of renovationscontinued, some village councillors began doubting the project and the costs involved. One .councillor suggested the building be torn down. Instead, a survey was printed in The Blyth Standard.. It asked the public whether the Memorial Hall should be torn down or left standing. Only one reply suggested demolition. Council agreed to re-examine the engineer's report. It recommended a minor strengthening of the floor, the stage and auditorium and a total replacement of the roof. The roof cost $50,000. Of this, $10,000 Wouid`eo pe from the village and the rest from government grants. In 1975, a dream for the Blyth Memorial Hall developed. Keith Roulston, envisioned a summer theatre company to the village. He mentioned his dream to Paul Thompson, artistic director of Toronto's Theatre Passe Muraille. Keith remembers walking down the streets of Blyth with "shaggy, scruffy" Paul Thompson, as the local merchants- peeked out of their shop windows. Paul suggested that James Roy, a young area director, could . make the theatre dream a reality and the Blyth Summer Festival was born. It began 10 years ago with two productions. Keith recalled of the first opening night, "We must havebeen nuts. I remember spending the first night sitting on the steps with James Roy, talking about plans for the next two to three years." Keith said that from opening night, "we were on to something, but we didn't know how big." "Opening night was the worst night of my life," Keith told a dinner audience at the opening of this year's 10th season. "I missed dinner," he recalled, "I was still cleaning in the back." The theatre seating consisted of old varnished seats and in the heat, people actually stuck to them. Keith joked, "It was a plot so people couldn't get out. Before the opening night performance the theatre entrance door lock broke and cast and crew frantically worked to repair it, so the Lieutenant Governor could get in to see the show. The early years were filled with calamity, but they were also exciting years. For Keith, the best times were seeing actors like Kate Trotter and Seana McKenna perform, working with playwrights like Ted Johns and Peter Colley and volunteer board members Mildred McAdam, Liz Herman, Sheila Richards and Lynda Lentz. By 1977 many people saw the potential for theatre in Blyth and the further renovation work was proposed. By 1979 the construction crews were at work. "This is like heaven compared to when we first started," Keith said. "We really didn't envisage in 1975 what would happen down the road." The year 1979 also brought a new artistic director to Blyth. Janet Amos brought with her talent, enthusiasm, confidence and pride. In the past five years she has helped create a theatre that is a pride to the community and critically acclaimed across the nation. In a decade the Blyth Summer Festival .has gone from a first season, with two .productions and attendance of 2,000, to a 1984 gala season, with five plays and an estimated attendance of more than 30,000. "Blyth is one of the most important theatres in Canada," Janet enthused. She describes the theatre as a "model for the world." No where else has she seen a theatre of Blyth's quality developed in a rural area. "It's inspiring and fun to other ss communities. If it can happen here, ircan happen anywhere." More Blyth Festival stories on page 6A INSURANCE Cau. BOB McKINLEY RR 3, CLINTON TEL: 482-3714 LIFE and HEALTH •R.R.S.P.'s & INVESTMENTS •ANNUITIES •GROUP BENEFITS •GUARANTEED INVESTMENT CERTIFICATES LICENCED WITH Dominion Life THE DOMINION LIFE ASSl1HAN(.F (. OAAPANY County 4-H members compete Twenty 4-H members from Huron County took part in Rural Youth Connection on July 26th. This regional competition was held in Stratford. 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